VOL. XLI

No. 08

23-February-1998

SAUDI ARABIA

The Implications Of Weak Oil Prices For Saudi Arabia's EconomicGrowth Prospects

The following is the text of a memo recently prepared and distributed to clients bythe Washington-based Petroleum Finance Company Ltd. (PFC).

The sharp drop in crude oil prices during the last several weeks raises importantquestions for Saudi Arabia's finances. PFC expects that the price of WTI crude oil will,at best, average somewhere between $16.50-$17/B during 1998....